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Change Your Mindset

From "Find a Job" to "Create My Job"

Start Your Own Venture

and Become a Job Creator

CareerSource Pinellas

to become entrepreneurs or bring you new entrepreneurial skills to an existing company

CareerSource Pinellas is one of eight local workforce regions in Florida that offers the Startup Quest® program to the professional community. The success of the 2011 Startup Quest® pilot program in the CareerSource North Central Florida region led to the program’s national recognition and expansion in Florida, where participating regions are seeing incredible success stories from program graduates.

This entrepreneurship-training program connects successful CEOs and entrepreneurs, who serve as mentors, with competing degree holding professional participant teams in a simulated startup. The 10-session program is focused on inventions from Florida universities and NASA. Teams create commercialization strategies and business plans and compete in an investor pitch contest to further their opportunity to learn about and connect to potential funding and support.

Participants walk away from the program with a greater understanding of entrepreneurship and business startup knowledge, as well as skills for achieving self-employment or employment with a new or existing company. Mentors walk away having contributed to the economic prosperity of their region by sharing their expertise.

For Mentors

To participate in the next 10-session Startup Quest® program in CareerSource Tampa Bay you must meet the following qualifications:

Be underemployed with a post-secondary degree (Doctorate, Master’s, Bachelor’s preferred)

Be 18 years or older (males must be registered with Selective Service)

Volunteer to be a mentor

We are always looking for entrepreneurs and business leaders in our region to become Startup Quest® mentors. As a mentor, you will contribute to the economic prosperity of your region, and state, by helping to provide underemployed and unemployed professionals with the skills they need to create their own business or bring their entrepreneurial skill set to an existing company. You will also discover cutting-edge technologies and network with other business leaders and professionals in your community.